Man, I love Apfelwein

[gcdowd]

Holy rhino fart! I just put this together yesterday using Montrachet, brown sugar and wine nutrient... it still smells like butt. It is bubbling away though. I don't think I've ever seen something ferment so vigorously. I can actually hear the bubbles in the fermenter. It sounds like highly carbonated soda when you pour it into a glass.

Yeah this stuff goes bonkers. It's all good

 

[ToddPEI]

WOW!
I brewed this up Jan 2013, and got lazy and didn't want to bottle it, so I forgot about it for a while. I recently found it and kegged it up last week (Jan 2014). AMAZING! I'd drink this over many commercial ciders.

A second batch will be going into a fermenter soon! Hopefully I can last and let it condition for enough time this time.

 

[moscoeb]

Well crap!!
I went down to cold crash a beer for the Super Bowl and noticed a slight film and a few grey/white chunks on my previously clear apfelwein!
So, do I ride it out, or bottle quick from underneath and go ahead and drink it. Tastes good already, that's probably how it got infected. Stole one too many samples!! oops!

 

[bleme]

What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

 

[moscoeb]

What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

Oh it's gonna get drunk!!

Just need to know bottle now or let it ride in the fermenter and see what happens.

 

[bleme]

Time is not your friend here so bottle and drink ASAP. You can even skip bottling and go straight to drinking if you want.

 

[moscoeb]

Ok, that's what I needed to hear. May bottle and give it during Super Bowl.
Thanks. Prob not even carb, just wine bottle, chill, and pour.

Thanks!

 

[xxguitarist]

Just to get this into the main thread since it's up-
I recently pitched onto a stirred up montrachet yeast cake from the previous 3 month batch. Fermented fast, happy, and is clearing out nicely now.

I'll be continuing to do this until I notice anything amiss.

 

[jrowland74]

What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

Except bears. Bears will kill you

 

[marinica]

heya.
first time poster, long time lurker.
i tried to read how much i could from this topic but is huge.
my question is that there is any replacement for montrachet yeast ? i could use "All Purpose Red Wine Yeast " for example ? montrachet it seems like is missing in europe. amazon does not want to deliver here, and co.uk does not have it.
thanks !

 

[DRonco]

Have you tried the major online retailers, like northern brewer? Otherwise, look for lalvin 71b-1122.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Lalvin EC-1118 is a good substitute as well. Actually I think I prefer it to Montrachet.

 

[marinica]

great. i can easly find this one.
thanks !.

 

[SaguaroMan]

I used Enoferm QA23 yeast, took off really well with some Go-Ferm Evolution

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[alby44]

Hello All:

Made 1st batch of Apfelwein over the weekend (Sun, 1.26) using Motts, Montrachet, 1 cinnamon stick, and Vodka in the airlock. Attached picture is what fermentation looks like as of this morning.

Changed out/sanitized the airlock 3 times....well, b/c I was nervous;\ Is this normal and should I leave it be or continue to change until fermentation subsides?

Thanks!!

 

[LoneTreeFarms]

take the airlock off and place a sanitized towel with rubberband on it for the first 5 days, it should help, then put the airlock back on. the fermentation is strong enough (purging co2) in the first five days that there is no risk of infection.

 

[america]

Hello All:

Made 1st batch of Apfelwein over the weekend (Sun, 1.26) using Motts, Montrachet, 1 cinnamon stick, and Vodka in the airlock. Attached picture is what fermentation looks like as of this morning.

Changed out/sanitized the airlock 3 times....well, b/c I was nervous;\ Is this normal and should I leave it be or continue to change until fermentation subsides?

Thanks!!

You probably shouldn't fill your carboy up so full next time is what I'd recommend.

 

[bleme]

You probably shouldn't fill your carboy up so full next time is what I'd recommend.

^ This. I only put 4.5 gallons in at first, then top it off when it stops going crazy.

 

[Beerbrew112358]

grape jelly wine, its not awful

 

[whoaru99]

I finally bottled the batch I started back in mid-September. Is the yeast cake any good for another batch? It has only been used once, for the batch I just bottled.

 

[ChefRex]

Having a glass brewed a year ago, so good!

 

[Kdog22]

looks good!

 

[Edbert]

Okay, I read the first 200 or so pages of this then skipped and read the last dozen. I may be mistaken but early on there seemed to be the "wait 4 weeks and keg the stuff to drink" and now I am seeing folks waiting 6 months or even over a year.

I have been making beer for a long time, and recently trying some mead. One of the main drawbacks (for me) to mead is the long wait from pitch to drink. My 1st batch of Apfelwein is right at 3 weeks old, straight up Edwort's recipe, but still pretty cloudy. I have no intention of trying it before 4 weeks but I am also concerned that it is so cloudy at 22 days.

Wondering about cold crashing. Anyone do that to clear it out for racking?

I've been backsweetening my meads since I'm not a fan of dry wine, although I am getting a taste for it to be dryer and dryer. Right now the Apfelwein smells pretty damn nasty, hoping the final phases will clear that up as well.

Anyone add any nutrients like Fermaid-K to speed up the critters?

How about degassing, good idea or bad?

Potassium carbonate, good idea or bad?

 

[ChefRex]

You can drink it early but it only gets better if you wait!
Having a little more tonight. this keg is pretty light but not to worry I have another carboy full downstairs.:rockin:
And yes I do love it.

 

[SupervisingChildren]

Edbert: yeah, doesn't smell too pleasant when young. I keg or bottle after 2-3 months. Haven't saved any to age more than 5 months and I've made 10? batches. It goes real quick in my house. I leave it alone after it's in the carboy (nothing else added after yeast pitched).

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[MattBoivin]

Having a glass brewed a year ago, so good!

That looks delicious! And clear 😉


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[stmizell]

I started with this recipe wanting to make apple wine. We bottled the first batch early and ended up with huge carbonation. I guess it depends on what you want the end result to be. After corks blowing out right and left, my later batches are sitting and waiting.

 

[bleme]

That actually sounds like a fun drinking game - waiting around for a cork to blow cuz then you have to drink it...

 

[ChefRex]

That looks delicious! And clear 😉


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It is on both accounts!

 

[sawbossFogg]

Wife n I are enjoying the last of our bottles at about 11 months they're quite a bit better! Worth the wait of at least 4-6 months.


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